free from sin

When Paul wrote this in Romans 5:17, what did he have in mind? Was it a picture of us sitting by a pool and being waited on by lesser people – people by the way who are definitely not reigning in life.

We know instinctively that the Christian calling is not one of laziness and luxury, but what was Paul saying?

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

The picture we have here is one that goes all the way back to the garden, the time when mankind fell from their high calling. What was that calling? We were created to be image bearers; those who reflected God’s good and compassionate reign into the world and then reflected the worlds praises back to Him. A royal priesthood, no less.

When sin entered we hid from God and reflected creation back to itself, which in turn unleashed all the corruption and horror that we see through history and to the present day.

Everything changed when Jesus went to the cross. There He defeated sin and death on our behalf, and now we have forgiveness and resurrection. We have a new covenant, the new creation has begun and those who turn to God can start to reflect the Divine to the dying. We pick up the mantle of the One who died and rose again, and reign in life. Not as overlords or tyrants, but servants who reflect the loving, suffering giving heart of God and declare the more than good news, that Jesus is risen and He is Lord.

There is a temptation for preachers to take the victory of the Gospel beyond the the age that that we live in. The reality is that we all face failure and suffering, but this doesn’t mean that we have failed as Christians or committed some terrible sin. After all, the apostle Paul spent years in prison and was eventually beheaded; was that because he ignored the will of God, or because he followed it?

I have to apologise to the more sensitive, because I do have a bit of a rant 😉

You can download or stream the message using the player and button below.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is so much more than a cosy spiritual concept or the assurance of an after life. Of course the spiritual dimension is huge, and while it does guarantee both life after death and a personal resurrection; Jesus’ bodily resurrection has an equally important impact on the way we see the world and live our lives in the here and now.Read more

During my recent trip to Ghana I had four days of teaching/ question and answers. The meetings were really dynamic, with people asking great questions and me attempting to do them justice with a proper answer. My voice was not in a good place on the first day, and the recording is not brilliant, but the sound man did a great job with the equipment and conditions. This is the first part of session 1, and we are talking about New Creation. Enjoy! 😀

You can stream of download the message using the player below.

I have discovered a glitch, so sorry; the audio doesn’t start until 3 mins 14 sec’s. I have to work harder on the techie side.

After a week on the amazing continent of Africa I have seen extremes in several directions – from people kissing the shoes of their favorite ‘man of God’ to God supernaturally mending broken hearts, the appalling murders of Christians to the joyous celebration of a newly wed couple. I have witnessed heart rending poverty and then opulence that makes even a Westerner like me gag; I have delighted in seeing the tears of joy as people come to realise how much they are loved but then have seen others refusing to relent in their religiosity and ministry of condemnation. Read more

When we turn to God and put our faith in Jesus we receive a whole new identity, our old man was crucified with Christ and we share in the resurrection life of Jesus Himself. The struggle of course is that our bodies are not yet renewed and so we have a fight between our old programming (the flesh) and the Holy Spirit who now lives in us. The secret to life transformation is found in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. As we come to terms with what Jesus has done for us and believe it over and above what we feel, we get a whole new outlook on life. This outlook is not a ticket away from challenges and struggles, in fact in one sense the opposite is true, but, and it is a big but, we face life on different terms, with different values and a whole new perspective on just how good God really is; and of course we have a future brimming over with hope. No matter what comes our way, no devil, no tragedy, no suffering can separate us from God or deny us our place in the resurrection. Read more

Under the Old Covenant the pressure was on for us to fulfil its terms and conditions; failure to do so could bring dire consequences. Under the New Covenant the story changes from God saying “thou shalt” to “I will”. The pressure of the New Covenant is born by God Himself. It is God that saves us, God that keeps us and God who will raise us.

What about the Scriptures that talk about being lost, sinning against the Holy Spirit or being cast into darkness? If we are truly saved by grace what are these Scriptures talking about? Once we recognise our presuppositions things start to make sense.

There are only two kinds of righteousness available to us; that which is gifted to us by God and self-righteousness – One is the gift of life and the other a deadly poison.

Most of us rightly see self-righteousness as a negative, especially in other people; we will say things like “she is so self-righteous, who does she think she is?” A self-righteous person demands certain things because they believe they are entitled to it because of what they have done; in their mind they should be treated in a certain way because they are happy with their performance. The problem is that the rest of us may not be so impressed. Read more

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